Jim Baird: “I rise today as president of the freshman class and as a strong supporter of the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform…”

“I rise today as president of the freshman class and as a strong supporter of the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill. We need to get back to some common sense and to what folks are thinking back in their homes. When they watch their TV set and they see the unlimited independent expenditures and the so-called issue advocacy ads, when they open their mailbox and vicious propaganda comes spewing out, they know in their hearts that something is desperately wrong with the current system. If we ask our voters a couple of questions, we know what the answers should be: Do you want your elected representatives to spend more time on the phone begging for dollars or more time with their constituents and studying issues? Do you want unlimited amounts of external money from untraceable sources to influence the outcome of your election or do you want the character and the knowledge and the ability of the candidates in competition to influence the outcome of the election? Do you want the legislative process to be skewed by big dollars or to be determined by the merits of the argument? That is what is at stake here. It is that simple. Shays-Meehan may not be perfect, but it is pretty darn good, and it is the best we have had coming down the pipe in a long time. The American people know in their hearts it is time to fix this system. As President of the freshman class, I urge my colleagues to support Shays- Meehan.”